“It isn’t about the bar,” she whispered and shook her head. “It isn’t about the bar,” she repeated and sucked in breath through her nose. “There’s a maniac out there, Bub. Laurie doesn’t make a move without someone takin’ her back. She doesn’t step a foot out that door unless she’s got a man at her side. She doesn’t walk in that door unless someone who’s lookin’ out for her brought her here. She’s never alone because these days, in Carnal, alone can get a woman hurt. Alone can leave her vulnerable. She didn’t arrange that, Tate did. But you? What’d you do? Tonia’s sliced up and raped and that hippie coffee girl gets attacked, a killer is on the loose in your town and you’re out gettin’ drunk, gettin’ laid, havin’ a good ole time and I’m here, alone, no one at my back. That’s what it’s about, Bub. I’m already alone. I’m just makin’ it official.”

Bubba got closer to her, lifted a hand to touch her and she jerked away so his hand fell.

“But, baby, you can take care of yourself, I know that,” he whispered.

“So could Tonia,” she replied.

“Tonia was young and stupid, you ain’t that,” Bubba returned.

“No, what I am and have been for months is scared outta my f**kin’ brain,” Krystal said softly. “Alone and scared outta my f**kin’ brain.”

“Baby,” Bubba whispered.

“Go,” she whispered back.

“All you had to do is tell me,” Bubba kept trying.

“No, see, that’s what you don’t get. I shouldn’t have to tell you,” Krystal retorted. “You should want me to be safe and do what you gotta do to make that so without me tellin’ you.”

“Krys –”

“Go.”

“Darlin’ –”

“Go.”

They stared at each other and I held my breath.

Bubba opened his mouth to speak but Tate got there before him.

“Bubba, two choices, man. You go or I make you go.”

Bubba’s head turned toward Tate and his face got hard. I braced and Jim-Billy slid off his stool.

“Bub, buddy, I’ll help you at home,” Jim-Billy offered.

Bubba crossed his arms on his chest and declared, “My house, my bar, not leavin’ either. Fuck this.”

That was when I knew the laid-back, biker Bubba was digging in to save face.

And that was when I knew I was done.

“Honestly?” I asked and his eyes came to me. “You put them both through what you did and now, when it comes down to it and you can finally be a man, you’re gonna put them through more?”

“Don’t know what this has got to do with you, Laurie,” Bubba retorted.

“You wouldn’t, since you’ve been gone so long, you don’t know that I love Tate and I love Krys and, since you go fishin’ so often, you haven’t cottoned onto the fact that so does everyone else. If they’re done with you then the rest of us are too.” Bubba glared at me and I kept talking. “We put up with you because we care about them. Now they’re done, so are we.”

Bubba uncrossed his arms and declared, “I don’t need this shit.”

“There it is,” I replied immediately. “That’s your problem. All you think about is you. What you don’t understand is they don’t need this shit and they haven’t needed it for a long, long time.”

I watched a muscle jump in Bubba’s cheek then he looked at Jim-Billy. “Don’t need your help, old man,” he announced then strode right out of the bar.

We all watched the door close behind him and then I looked at Jim-Billy to see he was looking at Krystal. My eyes moved to Tate to see he was watching me and looking far from happy then both Tate and I looked at Krys.

“Krys, honey –” I started.

She cut me off. “Tomorrow mornin’, I’ll show you the office work.”

“Why don’t you and I have a drink now?” I suggested.

“‘Case you missed this, darlin’, I ain’t like your other girls. I don’t process over girl talk. Life happens and I move on,” she returned. “Life just happened and I’m movin’ on.”

After she finished speaking she turned and again disappeared down the hall.

I looked to Tate. “You okay out here alone?”

“Yeah, babe,” Tate answered.

I nodded, my eyes went to Jim-Billy who nodded at me, then I went behind the bar, grabbed a bottle of vodka (Krystal’s preference), two glasses, which I filled with ice, and I followed Krystal.

It took fifteen minutes to talk her into a drink.

It took half a bottle to talk her into talking.

Dalton, Wendy and Jonelle came on at seven and Tate rode his bike back to the house and got the Explorer.

A mostly drunk, very exhausted, girl-talked out Krys came home with us and slept on the couch.

* * * * *

With Krys snoring on the couch, Jonas asleep in his bed, I sat cross-legged on Tate’s bed in a pair of panties and a shelf-bra camisole while Tate brushed his teeth.

He came out of the bathroom na**d which was a hit to my resolve to have a serious chat with him, one that got my point across but didn’t make him mad, but I sucked it up and looked from his body to his eyes.

“Can I ask…” I started, speaking softly, “that you discuss my future with me before you decide what I’m going to be doing, where and for whom and then announce it to the world?”

Tate held my gaze then he bent, pulled back the covers and got in bed. He lay back against the headboard and his eyes came to me.

“I didn’t announce it to the world.”

“You did.”

“I said it to Bubba, Krys and Billy. That’s not the world, Ace.”

“It’s most of my world.”

He sighed then his hand shot out, wrapping around my wrist and he tugged. I came forward on my knees, my free arm moving out automatically to control my fall. My hand landed on his chest about two seconds before he curled up slightly, both his arms went around me and then my torso landed on his chest.

I pulled back, snapping, “Tate –”

“You missed it, babe.”

I glared at him and asked, “Missed what?”

“I don’t give a shit about the bar.”